this morning, overnight tsunami scare. >> a quake in the south pacific triggers warnings that devastating waves could be on the way. a number of nations rushing to prepare overnight. and bunker bombs. where the alabama boy was held hostages. collision course. it's tough to watch. everyone is okay. but is this the scariest dash cam crash ever? and close encounters. up close and personal with the biggest mammals on earth.

good morning, everyone. we do begin with that breaking news. an extremely powerful earthquake striking one of the most remote areas on earth. >> it happened overnight in the south pacific. the magnitude 8.0 quake struck near the solomon islands, which lie near the active ring of fire. >> five villages in the tropical island chain were impacted by tsunami waves. dozens of homes in one of them were damaged. and there's reports that several people have been killed. the quake was so big, there were tsunami concerns as far away as japan. most tsunami warnings now, though, have been canceled. we'll have the latest on the quake and its aftermath in a little while on "good morning america." back here at home, now. new details about the rescue of that little boy from an underground bunker in alabama. >> ethan turns 6 years old today. safe and sound at home, his mother is saying how wonderful it is to be able to hold him again. but the story couldn't have ended much differently, as investigators are finding out.

tahman bradley has the latest. >> reporter: little ethan celebrates his 6th birthday in his mother's arms, rescued from an underground bunker where he was held hostage for nearly a week. this morning, the fbi and other agencies will be back at the property, searching for more explosives. yesterday, bomb technicians found two improvised explosive devices on the site. one was inside the bunker. the other was in the plastic pipe negotiators used to communicate with ethan's kidnapper. sources tell abc news, the negotiators convinced dykes to approach the bunker door to accept delivery of an item. there, fbi agents set off an explosive device. dykes fired on the agents. they fired back. and moments later, dykes was dead, ethan safe. law enforcement officers spent several days planning the raid. they even built this mock bunker to plan for a breach. >> you can practice having a camera inside and ultimately

design how you're going to assault this bunker. >> reporter: last night, an emotional candlelight celebration, residents at midland city, alabama, reflected on the ordeal. >> right now, we're truly blessed. truly blessed to see god work a miracle in our hometown. >> people are grieving here. the loss of the way of life. many people here don't keep their doors locked. things are going to change in our community, especially for our school system. >> reporter: little ethan, who has autism and adhd, is said to be doing well. his classmates are throwing him a big birthday party. rob and diana? >> a happy birthday for that little guy. tahman bradley, live in washington. thanks, tahman. an increasing number of lawmakers are expressing concern of the obama administration's use of drone strikes. the concern stems from new evidence on how much authority the administration believes it has to kill suspected terrorists, even if they're american citizens. abc's jon karl reports.

>> reporter: a newly disclosed justice department documents say american citizens tied to al qaeda can be killed, if, quote, an informed high-level official believe it poses a threat. but it does not require the government have to clear evidence. case in point. anwar al awlaki, an american citizen and top al qaeda leader, linked to several terror attacks. he was killed in a 2011 drone strike. human rights advocates say the justice department memo goes way too far. and -- >> justifies, essentially, a aim that the executive branch can be judge, jury and executioner. >> reporter: as soon as he became president, barack obama stopped cia tactics like waterboarding, which he considered torture. but this justifies outright killing of a suspected terrorist. how does dropping an bomb on an american citizen without any judicial review, any trial, not raise the very human rights

questions or more human rights questions than something like waterboarding? >> the president understands the gravity of these issues. that's why he's committed to taking very seriously, both his responsibilities in this. >> reporter: the white house says the president's top priority has been protecting the american people in a way consistent with our values. but you can expect that his choice to run the cia will face sharp questions about this later this week at his confirmation hearings. and some in congress are trying to impose limits on the administration's ability to use drone strikes. jonathan karl, abc news, the white house. and as congress tries to limit those drone strikes, the president has his own message for capitol hill about the economy. on march 1st, deep cuts to government spending will kick in. so, the president is telling lawmakers, if they cannot get a big deal together by that date, they should, at the very least, pass a short-term agreement. but right now, there's no indication the lawmakers are close to any kind of agreement. and mr. obama has a visit to

the middle east on his agenda. the president will go to israel this spring, his first trip there since 2008, when he was a presidential candidate. while he's there, he will visit the west bank and jordan. in the region right now, iranian president, mahmoud ahmadinejad, is visiting egypt. he was forced to cut short a visit to a mosque in cairo yesterday, when a man threw a shoe at him. that is a deep sign of disrespect. ahmadinejad's trip is the first by an iranian leader since 1979. federal investigators are laying criminal charges against lance armstrong. he is being investigated for on jux of justice, witness intimidation. investigators are looking into whether he tried to maintain his secrets by threatening potential witnesses. he must come clean under oath. the u.s. anti-doping agents or

he'll lose any chance to have his lifetime ban from competitive sports reduced. the baltimore ravens are still partying. tens of thousands of fans lined city streets to cheer on their team as the city shut down for its celebratory parade. the stadium had more fans on the field and in the bleachers. >> ain't no party like a super bowl party. some thunderstorms threatening the central gulf coast. also, it will be rainy in the pacific northwest. we'll have some fog and clouds that will keep temperatures cool in southern california. also, some showers in oklahoma city and kansas city. >> the temperatures in the northeast finally warm up to more seasonable readings. new york and boston will get close to 40. warmer-than-usual in the southeast, with atlanta in the mid-60s. 20s for fargo, minneapolis and detroit. honolulu and miami, they're in the low 80s. coming up after the break, a judge you do not want to mess

with. plus, the price of convenience. online shopping could mean the death of hundreds of local shopping malls. and we'll take a test drive of the tiniest car on the road.

welcome back. the government is claiming a victory against credit card fraud. federal officials say a fraud ring based in new jersey sold $200 million. they allegedly used thousands of fake identities to obtain cards and then got the credit limits raised. 18 people have been arrested for what may be the country's largest credit card fraud rings. >> wow. and there are stunning

revelations this morning in the government's lawsuit against a top credit rating agency. the justice department says standard & poor's inflated the rates of mortgage products before the financial crisis. the securities helped trigger the market crash. court papers show s&p employees making jokes and even singing about the situation. and it's not just stores that could be hurt by competition from the internet. analysts say 50% of the country's bigger shopping malls are likely to go out of business. but megamall, which include attractions like restaurants and movie theaters, appear to be safe. we're going to learn later on today which monopoly token will no longer pass go or collect $200. fans have been voting for their favorites. the shoe, the wheelbarrow and the iron have gotten the least amount of support. one of them will be replaced by a cat, a robot, a helicopter, a guitar or, my vote, a diamond

ring. >> every woman's vote, the diamond ring. i'm shocked. also, a study finds that three out of five facebook users admit to taking extended breaks from the site. the main reason cited are lack of time and a lack of interest. a few on top of that are worried about privacy. the pugh study finds the breaks don't last much more than a few weeks at a time. >> hard to stay away. >> i'm totally a facebook addict. i've never taken a break. >> you don't take a break? >> i love it. >> really? >> i can't wait for the commercial. >> oh. coming up next on this wednesday morning, a season-ending injury for an olympian, lindsey vonn. the latest on her condition this morning. and the cringe-worthy crash. is this the worst collision ever captured by a dash cam? ♪ [ male announcer ] when we built the cadillac ats from the ground up

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hang on tight, everybody. if you're going to be riding the p45. get this. its creator calls it the world's smallest car. even though it's a pretty bumpy ride, it is slim enough to scoot around that traffic out there. the driver can fill up the tank while being seated in or on the vehicle. as for taking it on major highways, yeah. good luck with that. >> it's try to fly first. then, i'll try that one. if you are driving today, it could be slippery along the i-10, from texas to louisiana. rainy on the roads around seattle and portland. visibility will be limited in southern california, due to heavy fog. >> and it's a good day for some air travel with delays expected only in houston and the big easy. and back to the news this morning. a texas sheriff says the iraqi war vet charged with killing a sniper and his friend is refusing to meet with his family or a court-appointed attorney.

>> eddie routh called his sister after routh arrived at her house. >> he told me he committed a murder. and i'm terrified for my life. >> okay. >> because i don't know if he's going to come back here. >> okay. >> he said he killed two guys. they went out to a shooting range. like, he's all crazy. listen. i don't know if he's being monitored. >> marine sniper chris kyle will be remembered at a surface next monday at cowboy stadium in dallas. a funeral service for his friend is friday at a church in texas the texas. the trial of george zimmerman will go ahead as scheduled in june. a judge refused to grant a request to delay the trial. zimmerman's attorneys claim the prosecutor did not turn over key evidence in a timely manner. zimmerman is accused of killing teenager, trayvon martin. also from florida, this video showing a miami-dade

police officer hugging a woman. the only problem is, he was supposed to be responding to a robbery. the same officer is seen drinking coffee with colleagues instead of going to another emergency. the video is evidence in an internal affairs investigation in behavior. three people have been fired and three other officers suspended without pay. a young woman in south florida learned the hard way not to mess with the judge. during monday's bail hearing on drug charges, she was a little too coy. so, the judge doubled her bail. and then, she swore and flipped him off. the judge, as you can imagine, was not having it. >> i heard you say -- >> yes, i did. >> did you say [ bleep ] me? >> yes, i did. >> did you say that? oh, you did say that? i sentence you 30 days in the county jail. >> that's fine. >> woo, that judge, jorge rodriguez is now a hero in the miami area. the teenage inmate appears

before another judge later today. let's hope she's on slightly better behavior. >> in a better mood. in south korea, a terrifying car crash was caught on tape. the camera captured the moment when an suv struck an oncoming car. here it comes. every time i see that. the car flies overhead, separating two roads. the impact shattered the car's windshield. one more time. both drivers, luckily, survived this accident. slight injuries. >> hard to watch. american skier lindsey vonn, could undergo surgery on her right leg this weekend. von tore two ligaments and tore a bone in her leg yesterday, when she wiped out in austria. she was treated on the course for 12 minutes before being flown to a nearby hospital. von should be fine for next year's olympics. things are heating up in college basketball, even though march madness is still weeks away. details, now, from espn.

>> welcome to your "sportscenter" update. i'm jorge andres. a rivalry renewed in an arbor. number three michigan, taking on number ten ohio state. pick it up in overtime. 13 seconds to play. aaron craft, blocked by trey burke. robinson, rebound himself. no. misses the second one. so, craft, getting another chance, going the other way. this time, blocked by tim hardaway jr. hardaway jr., 23 points in the game. no foul called on that play. michigan, they hold on to win in overtime, 76-74. florida has won ten-straight game, taking on unranked arkansas. first half, b.j. young the steal. to shawn madden. hunter mickelson, inside. gets the bucket to go. eight different players scoring at least seven points in the game for the razorbacks.

second half, now. marcus kwauls. 2 of his 11 points. arkansas up 18. eric mercy, gets the hit by cody starr going the other way. alley-oop jam. nine points, four boards for him. arkansas, the first win over a top-ten team since 1999. they win this by 80-69. that's your "sportscenter" update. i'm jorge andres. have a great day. coming up next this morning, "the pulse." he is one of the greatest thinkers in the galaxy. should yoda star in the next "star wars" saga? hmm. and sheer joy. the tiny train enthusiast. you really don't want to miss the cutest thing in the world.

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and i was told to call my next of kin. at 33 years old, i was having a heart attack. now i'm on a bayer aspirin regimen. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. i didn't know this could happen so young. take control, talk to your doctor. i didn't know this could happen so young. we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much. i appreciate it. i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank. your money needs an ally.

♪ that, of course, an unmistakable theme song, which we could be hearing soon, on a new "star wars" film. >> and the next character starring in it could be yoda. that's the rumor anyway that's making the rounds online. >> disney, our parent company, recently bought the "star wars" franchise and promised to produce some new movies. but we don't have any inside information on whether yoda will be the central figure in any of those future flicks. >> we've been asking. >> we've been digging around. stay tuned. now, to a priceless reaction of a little girl to one of her favorite things. all little madeline wall wanted for her third birthday was to ride the train. >> and dad had the video camera rolling as the big engine pulled in. >> a train. >> are we going to ride the

train? >> yeah. look at how close to it. oh, my goodness. >> the cute-o-meter is out of control. that's adorable. madeline is now 5. and she's lost interest in trains. but she will always have this pretty precious moment there. children do change quickly. >> what are you going to do? and finally, getting way too close for comfort with a couple of whales. first, from mexico's pacific coast. >> these images were captured by an american tourist last week. the whales surfacing right under a small boat, sending it into the air. then, the giant animals jumped almost completely out of the water. truly an amazing sight. >> which is exactly what this is. watch, now, as an adolescent humpback whale off of hawaii, came to the surface, near a couple's canoe, lifting the front end of it in the air. the people who posted the video

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i know wherever the military sends me, i can depend on quicken loans. updating the top stories, now. a powerful 8.0 earthquake struck overnight near the solomon islands in the south pacific. there are reports of several deaths and tsunami damage to several villages. the little alabama boy rescued from an underground bunker celebrates his sixth birthday today. law experts are searching the bunker after two explosive devices were found yesterday. we should know in a few hours which marker is leaving the monopoly game and which one is taking its place. the shoe, the wheelbarrow, the iron, they are the most likely to go, directly to jail, never passing go again. and looking at today's weather. the east coast finally warms up to more seasonable temperatures. thunderstorms threaten the central gulf coast. and finally from us this morning, most of us buy more than one lottery ticket at a

time. and most of us are lucky to get, maybe, one number out of the six. >> that's most of us. but as the saying goes, some people have all the luck, like the weavers of little rock, arkansas. their odds were a little better, apparently. here's abc's nick watt. >> reporter: i say we crown steve and terri weaver america's luckiest couple. yep, that's not one check from the lottery. that's two. here's what happened. heading to their cabin last weekend, the weavers stopped at the citgo in pangburn and bought some scratch cards. >> and it said one m-i-l. and finally it dawned on me that meant $1 million. >> reporter: next day, they went back into town and bought somewhere. it was terri's turn. >> i'd give anything if i had a picture of her face right then. and i said, yeah, sure, terri. i won a million dollars yesterday and you're going to try and steal my thunder. >> reporter: not quite. but terri bagged another 50 grand. the chance of that? one in billions. but rules are there to be broken -- odds are there to be cheated. frano selak survived a train

wreck, a plane crash, four horrific car accidents, a bus crash and getting hit by a bus. then, age 74, bought a lottery ticket and won a million bucks. now, the weaver's. and terri's tried, but failed to spend even a little money. >> i was at the mall yesterday after this. and i told steve, i said, you know, there's not really anything that i want right now. >> reporter: and steve, a plumber, doesn't even want a new truck. >> no, i really like the truck i've got. it's six, seven years old. it's just -- it's a good truck. and i like it. >> reporter: so, what will they do with the money? >> it's going to be a little -- actually a large nest egg for our retirement. >> reporter: couldn't have happened to a nicer couple. nick watt, abc news, los angeles. >> lightning can strike twice. are we all jealous of that. >> it's a good truck. if it ain't broke, don't fix it. >> absolutely not. going to be smart with that money, which is good. that's what's making news in america this morning. >> stay with us for "g